SHANGHAI— Tesla Inc. called by Chinese authorities citing consumer complaints about quality issues, a warning to the electric vehicle manufacturer in a country where foreign companies have enjoyed a rare welcome.
The State Administration for Market Regulation, China’s chief market regulator, said Monday that it and four other regulators had instructed Tesla to comply with Chinese laws and regulations and strengthen internal control to ensure the quality and safety of its customers. results.
It was a rare reversal for Tesla, the first foreign carmaker to fully operate a plant in China.
In a statement late Monday in China, Tesla Shanghai said it was “sincerely accepting the direction of government departments. They said he had “thought deeply about shortcomings” and was working on strengthening his activity. They also said it would investigate Chinese consumer complaints and comply with Chinese laws and regulations.
The tone that hit the manufacturer of the car in response to Chinese regulators was quite different from the stance that President Elon Musk has taken in the U.S. when he came in for government scrutiny. In 2018, it exploded with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which investigated its allegations about taking Tesla private, a move that did not happen. Last year, he fought with local authorities in California that temporarily ordered the closure of his U.S. single-car center to slow the spread of the coronavirus.